Rockets Fall 6-5 in Shootout to Royals
Published on October 16, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release
Kelowna Rockets left wing Tomas Poletin working against the boards
(Kelowna Rockets)
The Kelowna Rockets erased a two-goal deficit in the third period but came up just short, falling 6-5 in a shootout to the Victoria Royals on Wednesday night at Prospera Place.
Tij Iginla opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, showcasing his skill on a solo effort after Carson Wetsch separated his man from the puck. Iginla deked in tight and buried it to make it 1-0 Rockets.
Victoria responded with two goals, one coming on the power play, to take a 2-1 lead before Tomas Poletin (6) evened things up, driving the net and knocking home a rebound off Wetsch's right-pad shot.
The Royals regained momentum with two more tallies to go up 4-2 before Hayden Paupanekis (1) notched his first goal of the season, wiring home a shot from the slot to beat the goalie glove side off a setup from Kayden Longley. Victoria extended their lead to 5-3 with a point shot on the power play midway through the third.
Kelowna refused to go away, as Kalder Varga (2) crashed the net to bury a rebound from Mazden Leslie's shot to pull the Rockets within one. Then, with just 25 seconds remaining, Iginla struck again, hammering a one-timer from the high slot on the power play off a feed from Paupanekis to tie the game 5-5.
Overtime solved nothing, sending the game to a shootout. Tomas Poletin was the Rockets lone scorer, but Victoria converted twice to secure the 6-5 win.
Tij Iginla was named the game's first star and the WHL's Top Performer of the Night, recording 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in his 25/26 season debut.
ADDITIONAL STATS
Shots: Kelowna 36 | Victoria 26
Power Play: Kelowna 1/4 | Victoria 2/4
Faceoffs: Kelowna 40 | Victoria 24
UP NEXT
The Rockets continue their homestand on Saturday, October 18th, when they host the Everett Silvertips at Prospera Place for Canadian Cancer Night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available now at selectyourtickets.com.
Images from this story
 Kelowna Rockets centre Tij Iginla |
 Kelowna Rockets centre Tij Iginla joins in the celebration |
 Kelowna Rockets left wing Tomas Poletin working against the boards |
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